1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computing systems and, more specifically, to a computing device for mobile environments, such as in a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Police cars and other emergency vehicles are becoming increasingly technologically sophisticated. Whereas there was a time when the only electronic systems related to emergency functions were warning lights, sirens and radios, today's police cars commonly have a variety of sophisticated digital communication and information processing systems.
In recent years, for example, it has become common for laptop computers to be used in police cars and other emergency vehicles. The laptop typically is mounted on a bracket or similar mounting in an orientation that allows the driver to use the keyboard and view the screen. The laptop computer is commonly able to communicate with law enforcement agency computers via a wireless (radio) data link. A police officer can enter a search query into the laptop to run a check on an automobile license number or determine if a person being detained for questioning is wanted by any law enforcement agencies. It is desirable for such a laptop to be of the “ruggedized” variety, but such is not always feasible due to the substantially greater cost of a ruggedized laptop as compared with a standard consumer-grade laptop. Indeed, a ruggedized laptop can cost five times as much as a regular, consumer-grade version. “Ruggedized” is a well-understood term of art that is generally applied to an electronic device that resists damage due to harsh environmental conditions or abuse, such as impact, vibration and shock, dust and dirt, moisture and liquid spills, and extreme heat and cold. The harsh environment of a police vehicle or other emergency vehicle can subject an ordinary laptop computer to some or all of the above-listed conditions, causing it to fail. The keyboard and screen are particularly sensitive to damage. An example of a ruggedized laptop computer is the TOUGHBOOK® line of laptops produced by Panasonic Corporation.
Emergency vehicle electronics are not limited to laptop computers. Some police cars also include global positioning satellite (GPS) systems for navigation or location purposes. Such systems can help guide the police officer to a location input by a dispatcher and received in the police car via the wireless data link. The GPS receiver and associated electronics are generally mounted in the vehicle trunk and connected with the laptop or other input/output device by cabling.
A video recording system is another increasingly common electronic device or system used in police cars. A camera mounted in the car feeds a video signal to a recording device. Although some newer systems may record video in digital format directly onto a laptop computer hard disk, more commonly the recording device is a videotape recorder or digital recorder mounted in the trunk of the vehicle.
With a video recorder, GPS receiver, controllers for sirens and warning lights, and so forth, all mounted in the vehicle trunk, the jumble of cabling that connects these devices with the vehicle systems to which they relate or to a laptop computer or dashboard controls, can prove to be a nightmarish mess for technicians charged with installing and maintaining such electronics. Moreover, as these devices are typically independent of one another without any integration among them, there are typically a number of cables carrying power, a number of cables carrying digital information, a number of cables carrying analog signals, etc., running between the trunk and other areas of the vehicle. Similarly, as a police department upgrades its vehicles with additional devices, space must be found for them in the trunk, and other devices and their cabling may need to be relocated. It has been said that with all of the electronics packed into a modern police car trunk, there is hardly room left anymore for a spare tire.
Also, as such devices become more technologically sophisticated, they increasingly include microprocessors, GPS receivers, Ethernet cards, and other such common computing and communication elements. It is not unknown for the trunk of a police car to contain a number of specialized devices made by different manufacturers, each with its own enclosure, power supply, microprocessor or similar controller, GPS receiver, own network card, etc. This duplication of electronics and cabling is very inefficient (especially in terms of power consumption), and the array of cabling and disparate devices makes maintenance difficult.
Furthermore, as police cars used by large metropolitan police forces are known to have useful lives that average about 18 months, maintenance personnel find themselves somewhat frequently having to remove some or all of the specialized electronics from a police car and install it in another.
Accordingly, there is a need for a mobile computing device that can withstand the rigors of the emergency response vehicle environment and that can be readily installed, removed and expanded. The present invention addresses these problems and deficiencies and others in the manner described below.